Chapter 199: I’ll Teach You How To Behave
Shanghai, Special Higher Police Affairs Interrogation Room.
The air was thick with the heavy stench of blood and a desperate fear.
Under the dim lights, the walls were hung with various torture instruments, some still bearing dark red blotchy marks.
From several interrogation rooms came faint suppressed groans and the vicious questioning of secret agents.
In one of the interrogation rooms, “Xue Lian” was bound to the torture rack, her hair disheveled, clothes torn, face bruised, clearly having undergone initial “hospitality,” but she bit her lips tightly, her eyes weak yet still defiant.
Nantian Yangzi paced back and forth nearby, her face showing cruel excitement and impatience.
“Zhao Manjun, code name Xue Lian, underground transportation station cipher officer, Miss Zhao. I wonder if this information has any inaccuracies.”
“Pah.” Xue Lian spat out a glob of spit, her face full of disdain.
“It seems mild means are ineffective.” Nantian Yangzi stopped pacing, her voice icy, “Since you’re unwilling to talk, taste the Empire’s torture instruments. Where shall we start?”
She nodded to an executioner who was burly, wearing only a sweatshirt, hands filthy with grease.
The executioner grinned ferociously, drew a glowing red branding iron from the charcoal fire basin, carrying a terrifying smell of scorched flesh, and approached “Xue Lian” step by step.
“Xue Lian” closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly from fear.
Just as the glowing red branding iron was about to touch “Xue Lian”‘s body, a figure rushed in hurriedly.
The newcomer was in civilian clothes, walked to Nantian Yangzi’s side, and whispered a few words.
“Stop!!”
Nantian Yangzi waved her hand and said: “Miss Zhao, I have bad news for you.”
“Your comrades have been caught by us.”
“Now, I invite you to identify who this person is.”
With that, Nantian Yangzi commanded her subordinates to escort Xue Lian to another interrogation room.
At this time, in the largest Special Higher Police Affairs interrogation room, more than a dozen people including Qing Hu were lined up under the command of Special Higher Police Affairs secret agents.
Xue Lian was roughly escorted into the interrogation room by the interrogators and locked to a chair nearby.
Nantian Yangzi’s gaze was like that of a hawk, sweeping over the people present.
The figure in the park was just a fleeting glimpse, so Nantian could only vaguely remember it was a back view in a dark suit.
But as for specific appearance and physical characteristics, Nantian had no certainty.
Secret agents waiting near the park arrested forty or fifty people; based on Nantian’s memory of height around six feet and wearing a dark suit, after screening by the secret agents, more than a dozen remained.
“Miss Zhao, I wonder if you can help and tell me which of these is your comrade.”
Nantian infused the word “comrade” with mocking tone.
Xue Lian gave a light hum and turned her head to the side.
“Miss Zhao, do you know your attitude will get many people killed.”
Nantian drew her Nambu Pistol and pointed it at the head of the first person: “Miss Zhao, I truly cannot confirm if your comrade is among these.”
“But I trust my intuition.”
“You may not know, since you entered the park, I have centered the encirclement on you, adding temporary checkpoints within a one-kilometer radius of the park.”
“So, I am certain that within fifteen minutes, your contact could not escape this encirclement.”
“Of course, perhaps my arrangements were not cautious enough; he might have hidden, or not left at all.”
“However, I do not wish to admit failure, so I now give you the opportunity to personally identify this person.”
“Otherwise.” Nantian pulled the trigger, bang, and the forehead of the first person instantly gained a peanut-sized bullet hole.
Without even a groan, that person died on the spot.
“Miss Zhao, if you point out a target, the rest can live, but if you refuse to speak, I will let them die one by one before your eyes.”
A devilish smile appeared on Nantian Yangzi’s face: “My principle has always been to kill the innocent rather than let the guilty go free.”
Xue Lian’s face changed instantly, while the group shouted their innocence loudly.
Nantian Yangzi turned a deaf ear: “Miss Zhao, I will count to three.”
Nantian Yangzi aimed the pistol at the next person’s head,
That person was terrified and begged repeatedly, pleading with Xue Lian: “Miss, I have elders above and children below, please have mercy, say something, I don’t want to die.”
A struggling expression appeared on Xue Lian’s face, Nantian Yangzi’s corner of the mouth curved slightly: “Three”
Bang, a shot, and that person fell.
“You, you, you devil.” Xue Lian finally spoke her first words.
Nantian said casually: “Thank you for the praise, I am indeed a devil crawled from hell, so you still refuse to speak?”
Xue Lian said gravely: “Don’t waste your effort, there is no one here.”
Nantian smiled faintly: “Sorry, I am not satisfied with that answer.”
“Miss Zhao, I give you one more chance; if you do not name someone, all these people will be executed.”
“Do not test my patience, I have already given you two chances, there is no third.”
“Three, two, one.”
Xue Lian said nothing but closed her eyes in pain; everyone was gambling to see who could hold out longest.
Nantian’s face darkened, she raised the Nambu Pistol again, at that moment, a voice rang out.
“Stop.”
A steady yet authoritative rebuke exploded like thunder at the interrogation room door!
Nantian’s pistol halted in mid-air, she instinctively turned her head.
At the interrogation room door, Chen Yang stood there in a crisp Japanese Army Transportation Section military uniform, face ashen, followed by two expressionless Army Military Police.
His gaze was sharp as a knife, quickly scanning the room; upon seeing Lin Xueli, a faint shock and anger flashed deep in his eyes, but he immediately suppressed it.
Nantian Yangzi was first stunned, then extreme displeasure and surprise appeared on her face: “Who are you? How dare you come here? This is Special Higher Police Affairs interrogation restricted area, not a place for you!”
Chen Yang ignored her question, strode into the interrogation room, met Nantian Yangzi’s gaze directly, tone serious even with a hint of superior rebuking subordinate: “You are Nanta Major? I am Section Chief of Land Transportation Chen Yang, I just came from Army Headquarters! General Sato Buntai and Kagesa Agency Head are furious over the delay in North Jiangsu frontline materials transportation!”
“Your Special Higher Police Affairs suddenly caused such a commotion in the downtown area, mass arrests leading to panic throughout West Shanghai, causing station workers to strike, General Your Excellency demands you immediately provide an explanation!”
Nantian Yangzi was thrown off by the sudden accusation, instinctively retorted: “Section Chief of Land Transportation? A Transportation Department person dares interfere in Special Higher Police Affairs interrogation, who gave you the authority?”
“We are capturing important anti-Japanese elements! This is our duty! How can materials transportation delay be blamed on us?”
Chen Yang raised his voice, stepped closer, “Nanta Major, mind your words.”
“Did your temporary checkpoints get approval from Gendarmerie Headquarters Lord Otani?”
“Do you know that Mai Gen Road Train Station materials transportation requires cooperation from many local laborers?”
“You’ve made a mess of things, arrested dozens of suspects alone, now the laborers there are refusing to work, who do I blame if not you? Colonel Fujita or General Doihara?”
“I ask you, is capturing a few suspects more important, or ensuring supplies for tens of thousands of frontline soldiers?”
“Nanta Major, clarify priorities! General Your Excellency now demands a detailed report explaining the necessity of the capture action, and plans for swiftly restoring order and ensuring smooth transportation! Not watching you slaughter innocents here!”
Nantian Yangzi turned pale with anger, especially at “slaughter innocents,” “Section Chief Chen! You are interfering in Special Higher Police Affairs internal affairs! These are dangerous elements, without this, how would this Communist Party member talk?”
“Talk?” Chen Yang sneered, gaze sweeping over “Xue Lian” bound to the chair, “Nanta Major, look at their state! Even if you beat them all to death, can you get the intelligence you want?”
“If you really kill an important figure, clues completely cut off, can you bear that responsibility?”
“I now remind you, the most important thing in doing things is to get your priorities straight.”
“Since they are important suspects, you should interrogate carefully, not rush to destroy!”
Nantian Yangzi stared deadly at Chen Yang, gnashing her teeth: “So, Section Chief Chen is teaching me how to do things?”
“Teaching you to do things?” Chen Yang’s corner of the mouth curved slightly, stepped forward looking down at Nantian Yangzi: “Nanta Major, I am not teaching you to do things, I am teaching you to be human.”
“What do you think this place is, is Special Higher Police Affairs that great?”
“I tell you, this is Shanghai, if the trouble you cause is too big, even General Doihara may not protect you.”
Too, too damn arrogant
Nantian immediately felt her blood surge, but she quickly realized Chen Yang’s timing and reasoning were too coincidental and forceful,
But she could not directly refute the high-sounding reason of “affecting transportation,” as it indeed touched the Army’s core interests.
Taking a deep breath, Nantian said: “So, Section Chief Chen, what do you want me to do?”
Chen Yang sneered: “I don’t care if you catch Communist Party members, but release these people to me now.”
“No, there are Communist Party members among them, cannot release before screening.” Nantian flatly rejected Chen Yang’s demand.
“Nanta Major, I think I made myself very clear earlier.” Chen Yang’s tone gradually cooled: “Do you not understand Chinese, or do you need me to repeat in Japanese.”
Chen Yang said in fluent Japanese: “Release the people, now.”
